When you think of Vincent van Gogh, maybe you think of his colorful portraits. Maybe you have images of severed ears, a part of his dark, troubled life or maybe you just think of star-filled nights.

A locally written musical asks its audience to explore more than just the extremes of the Dutch Impressionist and to go inside his personal life. Admission is $5 at the door.

Ever yours, Vincent opened last night at the Boal Barn Playhouse in Boalsburg as a production of the State College Community Theatre. The show continues through tomorrow.

The musical is directed by Martha Traverse and written and produced by WPSU-TV producer Jerry Sawyer. "Writing this, I've learned more about art than I'd ever wanted to know," he said.

Sawyer researched van Gogh for six years and traveled to many exhibits across the country to view the painter's work in person.

He recounted seeing "Irises" at an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and was overwhelmed that he was privileged enough to see the actual colors on the canvas that van Gogh put his brush to so many years ago.

"I've been so involved in this process for so long that it just grabbed me," he said.

The cast includes Steve Moore, a State College Area High School senior, who brings Vincent to life. Penn State students Robert Kalman (senior-marketing) and Kelley Edwards (sophomore-vocal performance) are featured in the small cast of nine, along with other State College residents.

Kalman plays Vincent's brother, Theo, to whom van Gogh sent 600 letters during his life. These letters preserved many of the details of van Gogh's life and gave the play its title -- the closing of the artist's letters -- "Ever yours, Vincent."

The costumes and staging for the musical are very simple, and some cast members play multiple roles. Sawyer says this was done to insure other production companies that had limited budgets could perform it, as well as cater to the Boal Barn's concern for profit.

Philip Torbert and Cale Plut composed 12 songs for the musical, conveying both the energy and darkness in van Gogh's story. To enhance the performance, more than 30 of van Gogh's works will be projected during the musical.

"It's risky for a theater to do a new play," he said, "This is an opportunity the Boal Barn is providing for a playwright to test their wings."